2020 United States Senate election in Illinois

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2020 United States Senate election in Illinois

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Turnout71.36%
  Dick Durbin October 2017 (cropped).jpg No image.svg
Nominee Dick Durbin Mark Curran
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 3,278,930 2,319,870
Percentage 54.9% 38.9%

2020 United States Senate election in Illinois results map by county.svg
County results
Durbin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Curran:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Dick Durbin
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Dick Durbin
Democratic

The 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Illinois, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections and the Illinois Fair Tax. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who had been Senate Minority Whip since 2015, won reelection to a fifth term in office, defeating Republican nominee Mark Curran.

Election information[]

The primaries and general elections coincide with those for federal (president and House) and those for state offices.

Turnout[]

For the primaries, turnout was 28.36% with 2,279,439 votes cast.[1][2]

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

Nominee[]

  • Dick Durbin, incumbent U.S. Senator[3]

Withdrawn[]

  • Marilyn Jordan Lawlor, anti-war activist[4]
  • Anne Stava-Murray, state representative[5]

Declined[]

Endorsements[]

Dick Durbin
Organizations

Results[]

Democratic primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dick Durbin (incumbent) 1,446,118 100.00%
Total votes 1,446,118 100.00%

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

Nominee[]

  • Mark Curran, former Lake County sheriff[17]

Eliminated in primary[]

  • Casey Chlebek, businessman[18]
  • Peggy Hubbard, U.S. Navy veteran and former police officer[19]
  • Robert Marshall, physician and perennial candidate, Democratic primary candidate for Governor of Illinois in 2018[20][21]
  • Richard Mayers (as a write-in candidate),[22] perennial candidate and alleged white supremacist;[23]
  • Tom Tarter, cancer surgeon[24]

Withdrew[]

Declined[]

Endorsements[]

Mark Curran
U.S. Representatives
  • Bob Dold, former congressman (IL-10)
  • Randy Hultgren, former congressman (IL-14)
U.S. Lieutenant Governors
  • Evelyn Sanguinetti, former Lt. Governor of Illinois
U.S. Attorneys General
  • Jim Ryan, former Attorney General of Illinois
Illinois legislators
  • Mike Connelly, former state senator and state representative
  • Dan McConchie, state senator
  • Matt Murphy, former state senator
  • Paul Schimpf, state senator
  • W. Timothy Simms, former state senator and state representative
  • Al Salvi, former state representative
  • Darlene Senger, former state representative
  • Tom Weber, state representative
Newspapers
  • Chicago Sun-Times
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Daily Herald
Organizations
  • Addison Township
  • Cook County GOP
  • Fremont Township GOP
  • Illinois Family Action PAC
  • Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC
  • Lake County GOP
  • Libertyville Township GOP
  • Lyons Township GOP
  • National Right to Life Committee
  • New Trier Republican Organization
  • Niles Township Republican Organization
  • Northfield Township GOP
  • Northwest Side GOP Club
  • Paul Caprio's Family-PAC
  • Republican Women of Park Ridge
  • Republicans of Maine Township
  • United Hellenic Voters of America
  • Warren Township GOP
  • Wheeling Township GOP
Individuals
  • David Clarke, former Milwaukee County Sheriff

[29]

Results[]

Results by county
Curran
  •   Curran—60–70%
  •   Curran—50–60%
  •   Curran—40–50%
  •   Curran—30–40%
  •   Curran—<30%
Hubbard
  •   Hubbard—40–50%
  •   Hubbard—30–40%
  •   Hubbard—<30
Tarter
  •   Tarter—30–40%
  •   Tarter—<30
Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Curran 205,747 41.55%
Republican Peggy Hubbard 113,189 22.86%
Republican Robert Marshall 75,561 15.26%
Republican Tom Tarter 73,009 14.74%
Republican Casey Chlebek 27,655 5.58%
Republican Richard Mayers (write-in) 7 0.00%
Total votes 495,168 100.00%

Other candidates[]

A legal ruling, taking note of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois, allowed the Libertarian and Green Parties to have their selected candidate on the ballot without the normal signature requirements, as they each ran a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016.[30]

Constitution Party[]

Removed from Ballot[]

  • Chad Koppie, Constitution Party nominee for the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election, write-in nominee for the 2016 US Senate election in Illinois, candidate for the 2014 US Senate election in Illinois, Kane County School Board Member and retired pilot[26][31]

Green Party[]

Nominee[]

  • David F. Black, Green Party nominee for Illinois Attorney General in 2010[32]

Independent American Party[]

Withdrawn[]

Libertarian Party[]

Nominee[]

  • Danny Malouf, human resource director,[35][36] former Republican candidate for the 2020 Illinois 14th congressional district election[37][38][39]

Willie Wilson Party[]

Declared[]

  • Willie Wilson, businessman and perennial candidate[40]

Independents[]

Declared[]

  • Kevin Keely, substitute teacher and community activist (as a write-in candidate)[41][42]
  • Albert A. Schaal (as a write-in candidate)[43]
  • Lowell Martin Seida, perennial candidate (as a write-in candidate)[44]

Withdrawn[]

  • Patrick Feges[45][31]
  • Julie Rushing[45]
  • Connor Vlakancic, affiliated with the Republican Party (switched from Republican candidacy)[26][31]

General election[]

Predictions[]

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[46] Safe D October 29, 2020
Inside Elections[47] Safe D October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball[48] Safe D November 2, 2020
Daily Kos[49] Safe D October 30, 2020
Politico[50] Safe D November 2, 2020
RCP[51] Safe D October 23, 2020
DDHQ[52] Safe D November 3, 2020
538[53] Safe D November 2, 2020
Economist[54] Safe D November 2, 2020

Endorsements[]

Dick Durbin (D)
U.S. Presidents
  • Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States (2009–2017)[55]
Newspapers
  • Chicago Sun-Times[56]
  • Daily Chronicle[57]
  • Daily Herald[58]
  • The Dispatch–Argus[59]
  • The News-Gazette[60]
Organizations
  • Brady Campaign[9]
  • Council for a Livable World[61]
  • End Citizens United[11]
  • Everytown for Gun Safety[62]
  • Giffords[63]
  • Human Rights Campaign[64]
  • Humane Society of the United States Legislative Fund[65]
  • J Street[13]
  • Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs[66]
  • League of Conservation Voters[67]
  • National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare[68]
  • National Education Association[69]
  • National Organization for Women[14]
  • Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund[70]
  • Planned Parenthood Action Fund[15]
  • Planned Parenthood Illinois Action[15]
  • Sierra Club[16]
Unions
  • Illinois AFL–CIO[71]
  • International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers[72]
  • SEIU Healthcare: Indiana-Illinois-Missouri-Kansas[73]
  • United Auto Workers[74]
Mark Curran (R)
Newspapers
Organizations
Willie Wilson (WW)
Alderman
  • Nicholas Sposato, Alderman for [79]
  • Anthony Napolitano, Alderman for [79]
  • Chris Taliaferro, Alderman for [79]
Organizations
  • Chicago Police Union[80]

Polling[]

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Dick
Durbin (D)
Mark
Curran (R)
Willie
Wilson (I)
Other Undecided
Research Co. October 31 – November 1, 2020 450 (LV) ± 4.6% 52% 30% 4%[b] 14%
Victory Research October 26 – November 1, 2020 1,208 (LV) ± 2.8% 51% 26% 15% 5%[c] 4%
Hypothetical polling
with Dick Durbin, Generic Republican and Willie Wilson
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Dick
Durbin (D)
Generic Republican (R) Willie
Wilson (I)
Undecided
Ogden & Fry/Citizens for Willie Wilson[A] September 4, 2019 449 (LV) ± 4.31% 44% 34% 4% 18%
with Dick Durbin and Willie Wilson
Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Dick
Durbin (D)
Willie
Wilson (I)
Undecided
Ogden & Fry/Citizens for Willie Wilson[A] September 4, 2019 420 (LV) ± 4.31% 44% 25% 31%

Results[]

Durbin decisively won re-election with 54.9% of the vote. Key to Durbin's landslide victory was heavily populated and very Democratic Cook County home of Chicago, which he won by around 560,000 votes. Durbin also did well in the suburban, often called collar counties of Chicago, winning all of them except McHenry County. Durbin did well in Champaign County, home of the University of Illinois, and St. Clair County, where his birth home of East St. Louis is located. Nevertheless, this was Durbin's first election in which he failed to win the formerly Democratic-leaning rural Alexander County. Curran did well in most rural areas of the state, including winning rural Alexander County where a Republican hasn't won since 1972.

Durbin flipped eight counties that he had not won in 2014, in DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, McLean, Peoria, Will and Winnebago counties, but lost the counties of Alexander, Calhoun, Gallatin, Pulaski and Whiteside.[81]

Durbin became the first senator from Illinois to be elected five consecutive times since senators began being elected by popular vote in 1913. Durbin also kept his landslide winning streak by winning with at least a ten-point margin. Durbin was sworn in on January 3, 2021 for his fifth term, which expires on January 3, 2027.

United States Senate election in Illinois, 2020[82]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Dick Durbin (incumbent) 3,278,930 54.93% +1.38%
Republican Mark Curran 2,319,870 38.87% -3.82%
Willie Wilson Party Willie Wilson 237,699 3.98% N/A
Libertarian Danny Malouf 75,673 1.27% -2.49%
Green David Black 55,711 0.95% N/A
Write-in 18 0.00% N/A
Total votes 5,967,901 100.0%
Democratic hold

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ^ "Someone else" with 4%
  3. ^ Malouf (L) with 3%; Black (G) with 2%
Partisan clients
  1. ^ a b Poll sponsored by Willie Wilson's campaign

References[]

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External links[]

Official campaign websites
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